The Patriots have one of the leagues easiest schedules based off projected season win totals of their opponents. There is not a lot to say about his team, for as long as they have the core of Tom, Bill and Gronk, they will be the Patriots and their Division offers zero challenge to them. Without injuries, their pathway to another division title and the playoffs is a walk in the park. From there, we all know what they are capable of.
The Buffalo Bills have the worst quarterback situation in the NFL. AJ McCarron is the current starter. Josh Allen, considered to be one of the rawest quarterback prospects in recent draft history, will be his backup. The strength of last year’s team, the offensive line, is now missing last year’s three best lineman. The Bills offensive line transformed from strength into arguably a bottom five offensive line. They do have one pro bowl caliber player on this offense in LeSean McCoy but he is involved in an off field legal incident.
The Tampa Bay Bucs face a very tough schedule in the NFL. They will also start the season with their QB Jameis Winston sitting out the first three games with a suspension. They also have a tough road in their first six games, including at NO, vs PHI, vs PIT, at CHI and at ATL. I would not be surprised if Kettering is first to go among the HC group on the hot seat. He might however get a pass since Winston will be on the shelf for the first three games.
The Tennessee Titans have the talent, but do they have the coaching. Last year they did not have the talent in my opinion, but this year the changes they made at head coach, offensive and defensive coordinator could be the secret sauce to get this team to the next level. Can QB Marcus Mariota finally live up to the potential everyone thought when he was drafted? Let’s not forget that the Titans were a playoff team last year, however two of the better QB’s in the league were out for all or most of the season. And those two QB’s were Luck and Watson, who both happen to play in the Titans’ Division. Things won’t be as easy this season if those two are back and in good health. If there is a secret sauce it could be the addition of offensive coordinator LaFleur, who was instrumental in making the L.A. Rams the highest scoring team in the league last year (29.9 points per game) and having had a hand in the development of guys like Kirk Cousins, Matt Ryan, and Jared Goff as either a QB coach or OC. LaFleur could be the right guy at the right time for Mariota and his development in this league. It's a consistent passing attack that will take this Titans offense to the next level and LaFleur could be the guy to help make that happen.
The Houston Texans have the goods on both sides of the ball to win their division. If they do make the postseason, they could be very dangerous even as a Wild Card team. With both Watson and Watt returning, this will not only be an exciting team, but a potent one. Recall that when Watson was healthy, he threw 19 td’s in just six games. Watt of course is a force on defense. The question for both and for the rest of the team is can they stay healthy? That has not been easy for this club in the recent past.
Check out Jim Feist's picks here.